For an autograph, Damn it!
by RazorLike
Summary: Melane came to Tokyo to get something for her friend, Anette. But...things aren't the way she really wanted to...   Now rewritten,Improved and corrected!
1. For one whole Week!

_**I recently watched One Outs and when I tried to find FF's for it, there were too little. So I decided to give it a try and come up with a story for Toua ^^ (Keep in mind that I don't own One Outs!)**_

_**Tokyo**_

Melane Stewart averted her eyes from the batter and focused on the pitcher. That man had something really amusing on him, call it talent. He had scored three outs in a row of five, without giving up a run! "And all this just by throwing...fastballs..." she muttered and sighed deeply, something that made her friend, Rin, smile.

"Now now, Mel-chan, you like him so much?" Rin asked and gazed the pitcher. Sure, he was a quite handsome man, though somewhat lean and bony. Above all, he was blond. Rin "tsk"ed and shock her head. She never liked blond guys, she thought of them rather badly.

"I don't even know his name, silly!" Melane exclaimed. Truth be told, she had come to the baseball match just to see this 'rarely handsome guy' a friend of hers had spoke of. She had been told to look at him closely and -if possible- take an autograph. Silly it was the fact that her friend didn't know the name of that so called famous pitcher!

"Famous my ass..."she mumbled, but she kept on staring rather rudely at the man. He hadn't notice yet.

"Oh, he scored again!" Rin noticed and the pitcher smiled lightly. He was obviously trying to piss off the players, for they were giving him wary and angry glares. One of them spat on the ground, and the blond pitcher stared at him nonchalantly. He made a statement, noticeably aimed to annoy, and stepped away from the playground, living a small chaos behind him. "Well, he is good..."Rin announced and crossed her arms. "What do you think?" she asked and turned her head to face Melane. But she wasn't there. "Hu?What the-...man...!". She closed her eyes and fell back on her seat. That friend of hers...!

Tokuchi Toua was trying to relax, with his usual towel covering his face and his cigarette hanging from the corner of his lips, while his team mates were cheering for him, creating a lousy circle around him , commenting on the game.

_'Voices...comments...cheer...Losers.'_

"So" he heard a female voice somewhere next to him "you are the _famous_ pitched of the Lycaons." Toua turned his head to the direction of the voice.

"And you are...?" he asked, and he heard the woman laugh lightly.

"Just a mere spectator."

_'Such a straight-forward answer...'_ Toua thought and slowly uncovered his face, revealing a pair of devilish light caramel eyes and purple bruises underneath them.

_'He seems so tired!'_ Rin thought and her own eyes grew wide in surprise. "And I still don't know your name." she demanded. Toua let his head fel back again and took a puff from his cigarette. The smoke formed spiral shapes while living his lips.

"Tokuchi Toua..." he breathed with the rest of his smoke and covered his eyes his a lean hand.

"Melane Stewart"

"Seems you don't like baseball, Stewart-San..." Toua teased "Or else you would know about me." Melane"Tsk"ed and turned his eyes to the playground.

"I don't need the media to know that you only throw fastballs, or that you are overconfident and too proud for your own good...Tokuchi-_San_." said Risa.

"Oi, Tokuchi!"

"Huh?" Satoshi was waving to him from the other side of the playground, the signal for him to play along. Toua, with a tired puff, he threw his sigarette on the ground, steped on it and stood up in a flow motion. "So, Stewart-San, I'd love to stay here and have you scold me, but I have a game to save...See you around." he calmly said and, with no second look, he paced away. Leaving a very angry Melane behind.

"That bastard!" she exclaimed when she sat back on her seat with Rin. "How dare he say I was scolding him! That- Ugh!" and she gave the angriest of the looks she kept for the ones she hated at said pitcher on the playground.

"So you weren't scolding him...?" Rin asked, slightly surprised.

"Uh..." Melane stuttered and kept her eyes on the ground stubbornly." Maybe...I little bit..."

"Hmm... typical you" her friend commented and gazed Toua. He had delivered another flawless fastball, and now the stadium was filled with cheers. Those made her frown as she remembered something quite annoying...

"So, you didn't take the autograph." Rin stated and crossed her long legs.

"...autograph...?" Melane muttered and instantly slapped her forehead with her palm. 'Damn it! How come I forgot?'

_**...Some hours later, somewhere on Tokyo...**_

It was raining, something quite_rare_ in Japan. Melane was walking alone - for Rin wanted to stay at the Hotel room and have a nice hot bath - in the small, dirty streets in the middle of nowhere. The light rain couldn't cheer her up, and the moody weather matched perfectly with her gloomy - and so unusual - mood.

_'I wish I hadn't forget that autograph'_ She sighed. _'Annette will kill me, that Toua is her number one idol!'_ She turned left and a bar's open door welcomed her to come in and dry. _'Come to think of it, there's nothing special about him...'_ she thought as she chose a table near the windows and waved to the waiter. Some sake would be nice and warm.

_'Apart from his eyes...'_ She pictured in her mind his golden eyes, so soft like caramel and so shiny.._.'Wow! Wake up Mel!'_ she shock her head and droplets of water splattered all around. She smiled a moody smile_'Maybe I'm too tired after all...'_

"It's not a good idea to get your bath in the _streets_, Stewart-San..." she heard a light voice, and when she turned, a pair of golden eyes, so shiny and vivid, were fixed on hers.

"T-Tokuchi Toua!" she exclaimed, a little bit too loud for some customers turned their heads towards them.

"Now,now...You really are bold, aren't you?" the man teased and sat on her table. The waiter came and left a bottle of Sake on the table, and a glass of beer.

"I didn't gave my order!" Risa said, looking angrily at the bottle.

"My treat." Toua smiled and took a seep of his beer. The usual cigarette was hanging between his lips gracefully. "So, what is it that you want?" he calmly asked.

"What do you mean? I came here by chance!"

Toua grinned. He seemed amused as he took a puff of his sigarette and glared at her "In the morning, miss, what did you want?"

"Oh, that.." she blushed and took a gulp of sake "Well, an autograph...for a friend, not for me!" she hurried as she saw the tirumph in his eyes.

"Yeah, I thought it would be something like that..." he muttered and took a piece of paper from his pocket along with a pen. "The name is...?"

"Uh...Annette...her name is Annette." _'What, that is all?'_

"Here you are." he handed her the paper and stood up. "Now, if you please..." and he turned his back.

"Wait!" she almost yelled and stood up herself. "Is that the way you treat your acquaintances? How rude of you!" _'What am I doing?'_

"Oh? So there is something else you want?"

"Damn it..." she greeted her teeth and passed quickly between the tables. Now everyone's eyes were on her!_'Oh great.'_

"You bastard..." she whispered as she passed by him and rushed out of the bar. "That rude, arrogant bastard! At least I took the damn autograph for Annette. She owns me big time..."

"Oi! Oi, Stewart! Watch out!"

"Wha?" She only caught a glimpse of some car rushing to her. Then a light engulfed her and she collapsed.

_**Some hours later...**_

_'Ouch...my head hurts...'_ Her eyelids were glued together and when she rose her arm to rub them it felt numb._' What did I drink in that bar...?'_ she thought and opened her eyes. She stared at a ceiling, surprisingly unknown, and a strange smell was all over the..._unknown_ room she was in..._'What the Hell...?'_

She painfully sat back and she realised she was on a bed, covered with a blue blanket. She uncovered herself and gasped. "Where are my clothes?" she muttered. She didn't remember even possessing loose shirts and blue shorts! Dazzled, she looked around. She had never see that old wardrobe, or that white cotton mattress, or even that chair in the corner...

"Good morning..." she heared a calm voice and turned her head to the corner of the bedroom. Under the doorframe stood a lean man with spiky blond hair, golden eyes, with a towel over his shoulders.

And _shirtless.._

"Where are my clothes?" Melane angrily asked and pushed the blanket up. Toua's brows arched in surprised.

"I suppose that the_'thank you for saving me'_, huh?" he mocked and turned his back to Melane, leaving her fumbling with the covers.

"Damn it, what day is it? What time is it?" she yelled as she remembered something.

"Monday 13nth, ten o'clock"

"I missed my flight! I missed my flight back to L.A!" she cried and got out of bed.

"Los Angeles...You live there?" Toua asked from the other room, and Melane sighed heavily.

"Yeah, I live there...But it doesn't matter now, does it? I won't be able to get back for a whole week! And Rin didn't call me!" With every word she became more and more angry, till she had to stop talking and take a couple of deep breaths. She crossed her arms and paced out of the bedroom, stepping in what seemed to be the living room.

"Broken" Toua said. He was lying on a dark blue couch facing a large window. A mug of coffee was smoking on his hand and a cigarette was resting on an ashtray.

"What?" asked Melane looking around.

"Your phone. It broke last night when you fell on the road. Thankfully the car stopped before it hit you, but you had already passed out..." he mused and tossed at her some broken pieces of metal. Melane gasped and sat on the couch next to him with the remnants of her phone resting on her palms.

"Bet she _was_ calling me after all..." she sighed and glared at the relaxed Toua next to her. "Say something! I'm in your house, dressed with your clothes, with no phone and money, desperate and-"

"And you want me to tell you everything's going to be ok and somehow it'll turn well..." Toua stopped her and smirked. "Listen, Stewart-San...You are in my house, you have no money, so you will stay here for a week if you wish so. Just keep in mind that I never cook, so suit yourself anyway you can." He took a puff and let the smoke out slowly. "And your clothes are drying in my bathroom..."

She was listening, astonished and dazed. That guy she only new from rumours and had met the previous day was telling her she could stay in his house for a week...with no exchange?

"Ok...something just doesn't fit in here.» she stood up and glared at him suspiciously. "What do you want from me? Money? Drugs? Sex?"

Toua through his head back and let a light laugh escape from his throat. "Now you are the one overestimating yourself!" he said and stoop up himself. He showed her the suitcase, net to the couch. "I took your luggage from the Hotel; you had the address in your pocket. You can sleep in the bedroom, I rarely use it." he smirked and his golden eyes shined. "This shirt suits you..."

"You are unbelievable...!" Melane muttered and took her suitcase to the bedroom. She sat on the bed and gazed around her. "How on Earth am I going to stay here for a week?"

_**Chapter #1 is small, but I hope I'll get to right some more!**_

_**Till my next chapter...**_

_**xxx**_


	2. I can make it!

_**Ok, here's another small chapter...I wish it was a little bit longer, but there's more to come, and I hope**____**I can make it**____**! I don't know when I'll manage to write the third chapter, but hopefully it's not gonna be too late!**_

_**So, enjoy!**_

**I can make it!**

"Albright...I can make it, now, can I not?" Mel mumbled and gazed desperately at her open suitcase on the floor...then at the scattered clothes on the chair...at her shoes somewhere lost underneath the bed sheets..."No, I can't! I can't, I can't,_I can't._.." she gasped and fell back on the mattress with her hands covering her face. "There is no room for my clothes, no food in the fridge and no second towel in the bathroom! I can't _survive_ in here...!" she cried out and turned face first on the bed.

A familiar smell...Toua's...It was soft, and smelled of smoke and something that could only be his scent...Mixed with her own perfume, the smell was relaxing and-

"Snap out of it!" she ordered herself and sat back." Damn, when he's here he's driving me crazy with his manners, when he's out I can't get him of my head!"

_'Eh?'_ When her mind recorded what she had just said she covered her mouth with her palm and with the other hand she rubbed her temple. _'I am too tired...'_she thought and lowered her head till it rested on the bed frame.

Earlier on that same day she had taken a small "tour" around Toua's house, starting form the kitchen. Said kitchen was almost untouched, and from the dirty glasses of beer and empty cartons of pizza in the sink and bin she realised that his basic nourishment was junk food...And she noted to ask him how he managed to stay that slim!

In the bathroom there was a shampoo and a sponge, along with a toothbrush and toothpaste. A plain white towel hung from the doorknob.

The living room was filled with the smell of smoke and beer, cartons of pizza and scattered clothes. On the couch the pillows were ruffled where he used to sit - and sometimes sleep - . Although she guessed that if he cleaned the place a little it'd be much more comfy and would seem bigger. She liked that huge window that was giving the impression of a bigger place and filled the room with light...

But that was all. She always thought that baseball players were able to have bigger houses and more room, or at least eat well and drink wine and have dinner at restaurants every night.

_'Nah...Maybe he's not that good at basketball after all...'_**(1)** she thought.

But as she couldn't find a solution, she forgot about it and focused on the cleaning of the campy apartment.

...

When Toua came home, it was noon. He wanted to have a shower and eat some pizza, the sleep for the rest of the day. And there was that Team's Reception the day after tomorrow...

"Home, sweet home..." he mumbled and took of his shirt and jeans when the door behind his back was closed. With his boxers on he went to the kitchen and opened the fridge._'A large bottle of water and then straight to the shower'_ he thought. Just when he had brought the bottle to his lips, a female scream behind him made him jump. The bottle slipped from his finger and broke on the floor. "Damn it!" he swore.

"Oh my God, it is you!" Melane whispered. He turned to face her and instantly averted his eyes. Covered in a towel_- his towel -_, with her hair dump, she stood at the doorframe.

"Well, this is _my_ house." he noted and picked up a piece of glass from the floor.

"You scared me!"

"Look, can you just go and put some clothes on? Then we can talk!" he said under his breath and knelt to pick anothe piece up. He felt a sharp pain in his palm and when he look at it, he saw blood dripping on the floor. "Great..." he hissed and looked around for something to wipe the blood out.

"You cut yourself!" Mel was right next to him. "Let me see!" she demanded and Toua gazed irritately at her.

"It's nothing, reall-"

"I have some bandage in my luggage, wait!"

He gaped at her direction, as she was already gone. Almost instantly she was running towards him his a serious look upon her face and some bandage in hand. "It comes in handy with clumsy people like you, it seems..." she mocked but sat (yes,_sat_) on the floor next to him. "Leme see your hand, Tokutchi-San." He rested his hand atop her open palm, and she pressed lightly the cut flesh. It was a shallow cut across the middle of his palm, and a small piece of glass was shining inside it. "Hmm"

"I can take care of it." Toua said, starting to feel uneasy with that half naked, dressed only in his towel woman sitting on his kitchen floor.

"Yeah, sure..." she said and lightly pulled out the piece of glass. Some blood spilled out of the wound and dripped on her fingers. She ignored it and wiped his hand, then put the bandage on his palm. "There" she smiled "that should be ok. You need your hand to play baseball, so it would be inconvenient if it hurt while you threw the ball, Tokutchi-San." she said and Toua smirked.

"We can stop using suffixes, I suppose. Please, call me Toua." and he offered his other hand to her.

"Well, yes, calling me just Melane feels more...friendly. I _suppose_." and she took his hand.

It was a nice moment of compassion...

Or, at least, it _would_ be unless the towel she was wrapped in didn't choose to slip off of her and reveal her breasts...

"Shit!" she yelled as she run as quickly as her legs could take her to the bathroom. She rushed in, then slammed the door behind her back and collapsed on the floor with her heart beating a millions miles an hour...

...leaving a speechless Toua on the kitchen floor, frozen and, maybe for the fist time in his life, with a huge blush all over his face!

...

Almost half an hour had passed, and Mel hadn't exited the bathroom. Toua, on the other hand, brought his legs to get him out of the bathroom door and stare at it. He stayed silent till he also was sure his voice wouldn't sound shaky, and then knocked the door and called her. "You can come out now..." he said. " I also wanna take a bath, of you don't mind!" he added.

"I'm not getting out off this room until I have to get back to L.A!" came her muffled response, and Toua grinned.

"That means you'll stay in there for seven more days..." he counted. "Can you make it alive till then?"

"I'm a lot more tough than I look!"

"Yeah, sure..." he smiled and turned to leave, but stopped some steps away from the closed door. You know, Melane..." he said teasingly "you really don't look that bad..."

"Go bald, Tokutchi!"**(2)**

**(1) : Melane doesn't know about the One Outs contract, so she is free to think whatever she wants of Toua's house...Do you thing he should tell her? (Yes, I'm expecting you to actually tell me!)**

**(2) : Ok, I don't own this quote! It's the usual phrase beeing used in the manga****Dengeki Daisy****by Kurebayashi Teru when she wants to offend her school's janitor, whom she is in love with, Kurosaki Tasuku. The original quote is****"Go bald, Kurosaki!"****. I just thought it fited here...:S**

**Oooook, now please wait for an update!**

**Untill my next chapter...**


	3. Once upon a Night

**Ok, this chapter starts kind of dreamy, like a tale, so I decided to name it "Once upon a Night". It might get a little hot as you read it(at least that's the goal^^), but you will hopefully see something good while we're getting closer to the end (not the chapter's end, the story's end, but that's quite a way we've got...)**

**Enjoy...**

**Once upon a Night**

It was late at night...The moon was shining bright above the city of Tokyo, and some stray stars were sparkling on the sky...A cool air was breezing, and it was such a sweet night that you could see couples wandering around with no particular reason, just to admire their night-walk...

Such a beautiful night to be in love...

Melane Stewart, though, still hidden in the bathroom, was freezing cold and swearing that it was the first and the _last_ time she was staying over some stranger's house. To her, that night was the worst she had ever lived!

"Damn it..." she said as she sneezed loudly, and her voice echoed in the small room. "I'm cold..." She stood up on shaky legs and pressed herself against the wooden door. It was slightly better than the cold tiles. She then pressed her ear against the wood and closed her eyes in concentration.

Silence...

With a deep breath, she opened the door, even so carefully, and took a step outside the bathroom. The living room was dark and silent, the moonlight was freely entering through the window. For a moment she stood there, with the towel loosely hanging around her. The shimmering light was so welcoming, but evenly welcoming was the old, soft mattress in Toua's room.

Standing in the doorframe, she looked inside. No sound, just the silver moon on the sky. She smiled and stretched her hands above her head. The towel fell on the floor and she stepped towards the mass of pillow and white sheets on the bed. In her mind, she was already curled up under them, facing the wall the bed was touching in one side.

Eyes closed before her body touch the mattress; she fell behind and hugged the sheets. They felt so nice and so warm after the cold tiles and wet towel. And, as always, they smelled like Toua...

"Hmmm..." she moaned and nuzzled against the pillow.

"Content?" she heard a voice, a little too close to her. Her body froze.

_'Oh-oh'_

"...T-Toua-San?" she faltered and fixed her eyes in what she previously thought was a mass of sheets.

"Who else?" Toua's voice said somewhere above her head. She followed the voice and ended up staring at a familiar pair of golden eyes. And, unfortunately, those eyes belonged to a very real, very sleepy, very naked Toua, with his blonde locks messy from sleep. And Mel realised that what she had mistaken for the pillow and had been hugging was a very manly, very broad chest...

"I-I'm so sorry..." she mumbled and, at once forgetting she was naked, she tuned her back to him and tried to get out of the bed. A hand grabbing her wrist stopped her.

"If you stand up you'll feel even more embarrassed, if possible, because I'll be able to see your body again." Toua said, and Mel could hear the smirk in his voice. "If you stay here, I will pretend that nothing happened and continue to sleep..."

"I'm not sure if I can sleep right now..." Mel whispered and blushed.

_'Damn it! I shouldn't have thrown that towel!'_

"Just lay back down and relax, Melane..." Toua said and she felt him rather that heard him turn to face upwards.

"Ok..." she muttered "Ok..." and she laid, even so carefully, next to him. She shivered as she felt the heat from his body, so close to her.

"Are you cold?" he asked and she covered herself as well as she could without sheets. She nodded lightly, and he laughed.

"Come here." Toua said and opened his arms. She hesitantly glared him, but he had his eyes closed. "Come. I promise I won't_bite_ you." he mocked.

"Damn you..." she cursed and hungrily gazed his chest. She guessed it would be warm there...

"You'll get cold unless you come." Toua patiently said. She frowned and looked desperately at the ceiling.

"Is that my only option?"

"It's me or the couch, but without sheets or blankets." Toua teased.

"Pfff..." She moved close to him and, with a momentary hesitation, she nestled in his arms with her head resting on his chest. He closed his arms around her and covered them with the sheets and the blanket. "You know I would chose the couch if I wasn't cold, right Toua...?" Mel whispered, finally warm. "This is the craziest thing I've done so far. I'm sleeping in the same bed with a complete stranger..." she said, and heard him laugh. "What?"

"Well" Toua said and slipped his fingers in her hair "you don't seem to have a bad time..."

"I...I..." She didn't know what to answer. It was so comfortable, his touch so gentle and his warmth so overwhelming, the mattress so soft, and his beating heart so familiar...and his scent..."It just feels nice..." she muttered and nuzzled against his chest, her eyes closed and her arms came to rest around his waist.

"Uh..." Toua looked at her surprised. "Are you feeling all right?"

"...It is strange, isn't it?" Melane said as if she hadn't heard him "I met you only two days ago, in the first match...and now we sleep in the same bed..."

"Are you always like this...?" Toua asked, but smiled and pulled her even closer on his chest.

"Oh, I'm never like this, ever..." she mumbled.

"I bet you won't remember a thing in the morning." he said and rested his chin atop her head. He breath was coming in hot puffs against the skin of his neck.

"Hmmm..." her breath tickled him, and her lips left a soft kiss against his neck.

"Sleep, Mel." Toua whispered.

"Yeah, sleep..." Her breath evened and, finally, she was asleep. Her body relaxed copletely and Toua found he had been breathing in sync with her all this time. He smiled and closed his eyes.

"You _really_ are tired, after all..." he whispered and drifted off to sleep himself.

The moon was still shining outside his bedroom, shedding shreds of light on the two covered bodies. It was such a nice sight that the moon decided it had to shine even brighter. Then maybe those two would just _see the light_...

...

_'Oh, what a sleep...'_ Melane thought when she started waking up. But she didn't wan to open her eyes just wet. There was that very cloudy dream she had last night that she wanted to keep alive some moments more, before it slipped against her fingers like water...It was a dream in which Toua was hugging her and holding her close to him, and everything was warm and comfy...

_'Pity it was just a dream...'_ she mentally sighed and her eyes parted. _'Strange...'_ she thought as her vision became less blurry._'Am I still dreaming?'_

That body next to hers, or rather _glued_ to hers, was all_too_ familiar. As well as the scent hitting her nose...

_'It can't be!'_ and she pulled away. _'Oh, it can be...'_

"Toua...San?" she whispered as she glared the half naked body on the bed and the memories of the last night became clear in her mind. "Oh my God...Is he...?" She covered her mouth with her hand and, eyes wide in shock; she picked the sheet up from his lower body. Blood rushed in her cheeks and she put the sheet down slowly. _'Yes, yes he is! Oh my God...'_ She sat with her back resting at the bed frame and brought her knees close to her body. _'What will I do now? I don't even remember if something happened! I only remember falling asleep! But he is naked, and I'm naked too! So...So..._' She blushed even more and covered her eyes.

It was then Toua chose to speak, for he was awake and staring at her from the moment she opened her eyes. Well, to be exact, he was awake and staring at her_long before_ she opened her eyes...

"Good morning..." he mused and smiled as she jumped and fell off the bed with a loud thud, pulling the blankets with her. She landed on her back, legs spread and still tangled in the sheets. "Well now that's a reaction!" Toua laughed and rested his chin in his hand. His golden eyes where full of joy, and the only thing Melane could think was _'Please, don't stare at my breasts'_ because she knew she would blush even harder if he did. But Toua just held his hand out and helped her sit on the bed, and covered her with the blanket.

"Thanks..." she said and looked down.

"Relax...nothing happened last night." Toua said and laid back with his hands behind his neck. "You were very cute, though." he teased.

"Oh, stop it." Mel said and stood up straight with the blanket forming a strapless dress around her. "I was tired! I don't know what I do when I'm tired." she explained and searched for something casual in her suitcase.

"That doesn't change the fact that you are cute...And you know you are partially lying..." Toua said and she heard him standing up. Her heart started beating faster, and it jolted when she felt him hugging her from behind. "You are awake now, and rested. Right?" he murmured against her skin.

"Y-yeah..." she breathed and her eyes flattered. That body, that voice...

"Then why aren't you keeping away from me?" She could almost hear him smile, and she wanted to push him off and tell him...

...Tell him what? She forgot everything when his lips started leaving kisses on her shoulders and his hands gently massaged her back and waist. His fingers worked slowly to slip the blanket off, and she was yet again naked when it formed a pond around her ankles, this time under the bright daylight. His hands came to rest on her flat belly as his lips nibled her earlobe. "I can't keep on lying to myself. I want you, even if I know you so little...Melane..." he whispered and turned her to face him. "Don't deny you want me too..."

Without thinking, she moved closer and nuzzled her face against his neck, taking in his scent. His golden eyes were closed when she kissed him on the lips, and he titled his head to the side.

_'It's going too fast...'_

"Stop it, Toua..." she gasped and pushed him off of her. "Please, don't...You may be able to charm your teammates, but I'm...You don't know me, and I don't know you, and this...This is _wrong_." she said and picked up the blanket, then wrapped it tightly around her, happy that she managed to complete a sentence and totally forgetting that she was the one that kissed him. She paced away without looking at him, clothes on hand. "I have to stay here for six more days, but please...Don't do such a thing again.' she said and left him standing in the middle of the room, gazing at her back as she paced away.

Toua picked his jeans from a pile on the chair and slid it on. It seemed that what happened had little effect on him, for he was smirking.

On the other hand, maybe he knew that what happened was only the beginning of what seemed to be a very amazingly promising - but also complicated - bond between him and this beautiful young woman...

He also knew that what he did would so delightfully press her to her limits. But, God, it was only the beginning...

He looked outside his bedroom window and he heard the door of his apartment closing. He smiled and waited till he saw Melane rushing out of the building. She didn't know the streets of Tokyo, she had already had an accident and she didn't have money.

"You are so coming back, Mel..." Toua said and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes and shivered at the thought of her lips as they grazed his. Something inside him told him that he would be feeling her kisses again pretty soon...

_**^^ I told you it would be a longer chapter.**_

_**I can't change the rating yet, and I don't know if I want to, but...There are some rabbits in my hat that really wanna come out and play!**_

_**Till my next chapter...**_

_**xxx**_


	4. Golden eyes

_**I know it's been a while since I last posted in this story, but…I had lots to do and little to no time at all!**_

_**Anyway, I'm back now, and this is for you!**_

* * *

><p><em>Golden eyes<em>

_'Damn it!'_

It wasn't that late in the morning, yet every store in Tokyo was already closed! Above all, she was frozen to the bone and starving.

_'Damn...'_ she thought again and rubbed her frozen fingers. _' I should at least have brought gloves with me.'_

But bringing gloves with her was the last thought as she left Toua's apartment. She had to escape...

"From him and his hypnotizing eyes and lips and...whole..." she muttered and turned to leave for...somewhere.

_'But maybe he was right...'_ she thought. His words were echoing in her ears even though she tried so hard to forget them "Don't deny you want me too", wasn't it?

"I don't want him!" she spat, staring angrily at the nearest wall. "I don't - I don't - I don't!"

**...**

Toua rested his head on his hand and stared at the dress. He knew almost nothing of fashion, but that dress...It really was something. He closed his eyes and imagined her wearing it, every curve of her body outlined, the smooth fabric sliding against them...

"Can I help you sir?"

He smirked and pointed the scarlet dress. "I want this. It's a present for a friend."

The woman quirked her brow. "It's a little too expensive, you know. And old-fashioned for a young woman." she noted.

"I'll take it." Toua coldly said and the woman gulped.

"As you wish"

_'This man makes my blood freeze in my veins.'_ she thought as she wrapped the dress in the finest silver paper the store possessed. She stopped for a while before totally closing the paper and looked at the dress. She sighed in awe and then put the wrapped dress in a bag._ 'I wish I would have it…'_

"Thank you." Toua said and the bag slipped between her fingers as he took it. The last thing the speechless woman saw were his back and his spiky golden hair heading out of the store.

_'What a weird man!'_ she thought and, shrugging, went back to her job.

Bag on hand and a faint smirk on his lips, Toua went back to the apartment. He wasn't surprised Melane wasn't back yet. He was a little worried, though, for she knew nothing of Tokyo.

"A New York girl, alone in those merciless streets…" he mocked. He stood closely to the window and stared at the street below. The smirk on his lips grew even wider.

"She should be just fine." He concluded and averted his eyes from the street. His gaze fell on the bandage on his palm. The wound was small, insignificant even, but then again, she had taken care of it._ 'She sure is a caring person, even to strangers like me.'_

But he hoped that they wouldn't remain simply strangers for long. That woman…She had something. Something that defined even his logic. She was…fascinating to glance to. And obviously smart. Yet so innocent and pure…

"She has something I'm attracted to, but I still don't know what it is…"

He didn't want to believe that he, Tokuchi Toua, was_ falling_ for that woman.

"But I surely want her…" he purred inside his throat, and his feline like eyes silted, gleaming in the sunlight.

**…**

Somewhere, on the cold steps of an unknown street, a young woman was grasping her head with exasperation, gasping and hissing.

"Damn!" At this point, Melane didn't really cared if anyone was listening to her mumbling, or screaming. She only knew she was hungry, had lost her way back and had run out of money – which she didn't have, on the first place – and that damn Toua was the only thing keeping her warm in this cold and unfriendly town!

_'I...I din't just thought what I think I thought...Right?'_

"I'm out of here!" she declared to the empty street and stood up, feeling her heart sinking at the sight of the road in frond of her. "What will I do…?" she muttered and sat down again.

"Hey, miss, you seem a little off…" she heard a voice somewhere next to her. When she looked up, she saw a man sitting on the same step. How come she hadn't notice him before?

"Yeah…" she hummed and took a better glare of him "I'm new to this town and…" she sighed.

"You seem cold…" the man said and stretched out his hand. "My name is Konko. Come." He smiled " I know where we can have some hot sake and talk a little."

Melane took his hand and the man helped her up. "I normally don't hung out with strangers, you know…" she said, thinking it over. The man frowned and shock his head.

"You must be a good girl…Why are you alone out here on the first place?" he asked and guided her through the narrow streets.

"Well, it's a long story…" Melane said. "I don't really want to talk about it." Konko smiled sadly.

"Did he dump you?" he asked and Melane stiffened.

"You are being rude." She coldly said and let go of his hand. "I can walk on my own, thank you."

"Oh?" Konko stared at her. "You must really like the guy if you get so irritated just by being remembered of him…" he commented. Melane felt the blood rushing underneath her skin to her cheeks.

"Stop this already!" she shouted. "You don't even know me and you get to conclusions without thinking! Use that brain of yours -if you have any, that is- when you talk to a lady!" and, pushing past him, she rushed forward. "And I _don't_ like him!" She screamed behind her back.

"Damn it!" she hissed. At least that man had led her back from where she had started when she left from the apartment. Or, somewhere near….

The stores were open here, and she would surely find something to eat, or drink. She then remembered that she had no money and slapped her forehead. "Damn it!" she hissed for the umpteenth time that day. "Having no money sucks!"

**…**

"She surely didn't go far…" Toua, watching from his bedroom window, muttered._ 'She looks a little cold, though…'_ he thought and caressed the bag the dress was into. He really wanted to show this to her, just to watch her face twitch. _'That's gonna be fun…'_

He saw her looking around, may it be to find a familiar spot to lead her back to the apartment. A devilish smile lightened his face, and his golden eyes brighten even more. But now, he had to stay calm…

He sat on the chair next to the window and folded his arms so his head could rest on the them. Gazing lazily outside the window, he could plot his next move, just like he did in his games with the Lycaons.

"But this is not a game…" he smiled. "Maybe that's why I find it _way_ more fascinating."

**…**

"It's not getting me anywhere…" Melane admitted and her shoulder hung. She had been sanding outside the apartments door for ten mnutes, unwilling to open the door and get inside, where she knew it was warm…Where she could rest her body in that very soft mattress…With a warm body lying next to hers…

_'No!'_ she mentally yelled. _'No! I may like him, but…I can't.'_

She pushed the door open, surprised that he hadn't lock, and enter the living room.

Nothing had changed._ 'Of course nothing changed! I left only for a couple of hours!'_ she thought and smirked._ 'At least it's warm in here…'_

She took off her jacket and sat on the couch. The soft leather felt cream smooth underneath her fingertips, and she closed her eyes, cherishing it. It was so nice and comfortable, and nothing was disturbin-

"Oh? So you came back…?"

_'Damn…'_ When she opened her eyes, she wished she hadn't done it. For what seemed to be a god stood in frond of her, half naked, dressed only in his jeans, bare foot, with his chest uncovered and so welcoming…His hair were still dump, proof that he had just finished a hot shower. Even his skin was engulfed in a thin layer of steam.

"Y-yeah, I'm back." She simply said and tried not to look at hin fro her eyes would burn. So she didn't see him smirk once more.

"Good thing you didn't get frostbites. It's cold outside…" he nonchalantly commented. Mel rolled her eyes.

"You tell me…." She muttered.

"So…" Toua started "I thought you didn't want to stay here..?"

Mel "tsk"ed and finally stared at him. "Nowhere to go, damn it! You think I want to stay here with you and you seduction-ish self?" she blurted out and immediately clasped her hand over her mouth. _'Oh. No…'_

But Toua acted as if he hadn't notice and kept looking at her. "So, I am to suppose you wouldn't want to accompany me to a ball, tonight?" he said and turned his back to her. "And here I thought you could have some fan since you will only stay here for four more days …" he sighed.

"A ball…?" Melane asked and stoop up, following him to the bedroom. Toua curiously looked at her.

"Yes, a ball. But" he said and picked a blouse from the floor "you wouldn't want to come along with a seduction-ish person like me." And he pierced through her with his eyes. "Right?'

She defensively crossed her eyes and averted her eyes. "It's true I don't want to hang out with you. "

"Why do I think there's a_ 'but'_ hidden somewhere there?" Toua smirked and Mel blushed.

"I just don't want to stay here all alone." She said and threw her dark hair over the left side of her face, trying to hide.

"So" Toua concluded "You're coming because you're afraid to stay here. Not because you actually wan to come…" he explained.

"That's right." Melane agreed. "I will hate it, coming with you, but I can't do something else."

"All right." Toua said "It's settled, then." He said and paced away.

"Wait!" Melane called as a thought crossed her mind. "I have nothing to wear!" she cried.

Toua stopped midway to the living room and pointed a bag next to her, on the chair, without looking at her. " I thought you'd like it." He simply said and turned on the TV, pretending to listen carefully to the latest news.

She stayed there, staring at the bag and then looking at his back, for that's all she was able to see from that point of view. Paralyzed, she kept staring at the back, till a shiny wrapper took her attention. A silver wrapper paper.

Moving her fingers slowly, she undid the wrapper and her hand crept inside, touching something smooth. When she pulled it out, the most beautiful velvet scarlet dress she had even saw shone under the sunlight, and she gaped at it in awe.

"I don't believe it…" she whispered and caressed the fabric, feeling it slippery between her fingers. "Toua…I…" when she turned her eyes to him, she found him staring at her. She parted her lips to thank him, but he stopped her with that usual smirk of his.

"It's ok…Your expression told me what I wanted to hear…"

It was then she decided he wasn't that bad…And he actually had feelings he hid very deep inside his heart.

_'How I want to unlock this heart…To find what's in there. I bet it's something old and dusty, something worn out. But underneath the dust, it must be shiny…Shiny like his golden eyes.'_

**…**

He was calmly waiting by the window. His slim but muscular form dressed in that tight black tuxedo seemed even taller and thiner. But the contradiction between the mat fabric and his shiny caramel hair and golden eyes made him look like a wild lion in a cage. Only the empty glass of Vodka in his hand revealed some of his impatience.

_'It sure takes a long for a woman to get dressed…'_ he thought as he poured some vodka in his glass again.

In the bathroom, Melane was checking the last details of her appearance. Her maquillage was perfect, her hair –usually wavy- was straight and smooth, reaching the small of his back. And the dress Toua had bought for her….

It was long, a pure velvet dress in red and black colors that made her pale white skin stand out even more. The strapless, tight bra of the dress outlined her breasts, and the clingy fabric hugged her curves like a second skin, making them even more appealing and outstanding. And that elegant tear traveling from her lower him down to the floor…

She blushed as she noted that her legs seemed longer with those high heels, black stilettos.

_'I look…different…'_ she thought, examining her red lips and long eyelashes, high cheekbones and dark eyes_…'I hope he like-'_ She stopped the thought in the middle._ 'I shouldn't care about that…'_ With another content look in the mirror, she opened the bathrrom's door and looked outside.

Toua was leaning against the window, staring at the night sky above. She gulped._ 'God, a tuxedo?'_. She stood straight and coughed lightly, with her heart racing and trumping in her ribcage.

**…**

The fist thought that crossed his mind when he faced her was that he was dreaming. She was stunning. That dress really suited her.

"Then…How is it? How do I look?" Melane smiled and some color crept up her cheeks. Toua smirked and left his glass on the table, putting his hands in his pockets

"The dress is nice…" he simply commented, and Melane pouted.

"Oh…Ok…." She whined and crossed her arms, staring outside the window. How silly…And she thought he would like it.

"Let's go…" Toua said and opened the apartment's door, bowed lightly, awaiting her to pass through. Melane, still now looking at him, hung her head and passed him by. "I'll drive there, if you don't mind." He teased and locked the door.

"All right…" Melane, still pouting replied. She raised her eyes to the sky. Heavy clouds hung above her, ready to cry on the Earth. She didn't really like the rain, and with that dress it would get rather difficult to move around, either way.

"It's going to rain soon…" Toua shiged and opened his car's door for her. She entered and contently looked around, for the car was new and clean. Nothing like his apartment. The leather made a pleasing sound as she sat with ease and crossed her legs, reveling the enormous tear of her dress.

Toua stared at her from the driver's seat and fixed his eyes on the tear. "You shouldn't distract me like_ this_ if you want to make it alive to the ball, miss…" he teased and winked to her, happy to see her blush again.

"Silly, it's rude to stare at a lady's legs, you know!" she muttered and rested her forehead against the cool car window.

Compared to the cool window, something strangely warm touched her thigh. Her heart sped up and she felt nausea._ 'What the hell…?_' she thought, but dared not to stare._ 'Is he fumbling with the gear, now…?'_ and turned her face toward what seemed to be Toua's hand on her thigh.

No, he wasn't fumbling with the gear. He was -oh so shamelessly- tossing aside her dress, even so slightly, never braking eye contact with her, caressing her skin...

Her breath hiched to the sight, as she imagined those long, slender fingers working somewhere else…

"What are you doing there…?" He voice was raucous, may it be due to the tension...

…or due to the lust overpowering her senses.

"Oh, nothing really…" Toua smirked and leaned closer to her thigh, until his lips grazed her skin. "I just…" he murmured, and the vibrations send her losing heartbeats. He fixed his golden eyes on her and that devilish smile appeared again. He rose his left hand, and the happy jingle of keys filled the car. "I just dropped my keys." Toua said and sat p up straight in his seat.

She could feel the sweat rolling between her breasts, soaking her bra and the roots of her dark hair. Even her palms were soaked in sweat, glistening and now sliding against the smooth velvet of her dress as she tried to wipe it off.

_'I hate him for this…'_ she desperately thought _'I really do, damn it!'_

Next to her, a smirking Toua set the engine on and the car roared lightly. He had done that in purpose, of course…_ 'And it was worthy.'_ He mentally cheered for himself. That priceless expression she had as he leaned closer to her, the way her eyelids flattered, how her lips parted as if to accept a kiss on them…

Toua shivered.

God, he wanted that woman….

**…**

_'Those eyes…those golden eyes of yours, Toua…I want them.'_

They had arrived. The ball was taking place at the Team's quarters, and his eyes were casting around to find a parking lot. Under the bright light of the night labs, they were even more shiny that before.

He opened the door again and helped her out, holding her hand safely. It was chilly outside the car, and she wished she had something to cover herself. She swore within her teeth, and her breath was coming put in short, white puffs.

"S-shall we get inside? I-it's freezing cold here!" she faltered due to the cold and rubbed her hands.

"Mel…" she heard Toua whispered in her ear. One of his hands held her face still; the other frabed her waist and held her close to him. "You look great…" She could feel the smirk in his voice, even as he paced next to her, escorting her, but never staring at her.

She could even feel that this night had yet to reveal all of her secret's, and was keeping the biggest one fro the end…

_'I hope that the end includes a comfy, warm bed at least…'_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Pheeew….Fourth chapter : complete!<strong>_

_**Hell yes! Now I need to get more serious, because there is something good to come (I hope) and I already have something in mind…**_

_**Oh well…Till my next chapter…**_

_**xxx**_


	5. Can I have this dance?

_**Hi there! It's been a long time since my last update, I know, but I was waiting for a sign that I should continue this story. The sign came, so there's a new chapter! I want to write one (or, if I'm lucky) two more chapters, and then deliver this fanfic, hopefully ending it well (according to my mood)**_

_**Anyway, for now, please enjoy!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Can I have this dance?<strong>

Soft, slow music. Low lights, and the aroma of rose petals all around. Beautiful men dancing or just sipping some of their champagne from their elegant glasses…

And a raven haired woman standing with her back on the wall, trying not to catch the attention of that awful, ugly man, Mihara-San. Mel panted, with half of her face covered with her hair and her arms hugging her frame. Like a wild animal in captive, she was continuously glaring around her.

_'More like a wild kitten…'_ thought Toua and smirked, pacing slowly towards her. Her bright eyes fixed on him. "Having fun?" the man asked and smiled at her expression.

"Are you kidding me? That prick of a manager you have almost threw himself on me. I had a hard time escaping from him, you know!" she cried and fumbled with the end of a long straight strand of hair. "I'm impressed he can actually manage the team. He is so lame!" she smirked and looked skeptically at Toua. "He didn't seem to mind that I'm with you tonight…"

"Hmm…" Toua cough. "Maybe I forgot to tell him."

Her eyes widen in shock. "You did what?" and she desperately rubbed her forehead. "You're unbelievable…" she muttered." It was so hard just to be polite with this man…"

"I hope this will make it up to you…" Toua whispered and offered her his hand. "May I have this dance, Madame?"

A soft blues was playing, how come she hadn't notice? May it be for she couldn't avert her eyes from that gorgeous man in frond of her? May it be that that she couldn't hear but the sound of his voice? But now she couldn't, because the beating of her heart was even louder. She gulped and laid her palm on top of his hand.

"What makes you think I would like to dance with you?" she mumbled as she felt his arms circling her waist. Toua pulled her closer and her head rested on his shoulder, one hand in his hand, the other on top of his heart.

"You didn't refuse." Toua said and his hand caressed her back. She shivered against the slender fingers touching her skin, and raised her head searching for his eyes.

"I couldn't have…." She corrected and saw his eyes close instantly. His lips trembled and e hugged her even tighter.

"I'm glad to hear that." He breathed so close to her face that she could feel her skin tingle.

_'It's too much…'_ Melane thought as they kept on dancing slowly among the rest of the dancing couples._ 'He's too close, and he holds me too tight…'_ Her breath hitched as she felt his hand sliding against her back, moving downwards._ 'And I like it too much.'_ She gasped when she noticed his eyes on her.

"You seem dizzy." Toua noted and framed her face with his hand.

"I-I'm fine." She said and blushed._ 'I hope he didn't see that.'_ She internally begged and hid her face with her hair.

"You know" she heard his voice in her ear "I have hoped you'd say you did feel dizzy."

"Why is that?" she asked, hoping that the music could hide the fact that her heart threatened to pop out of her chest.

"I would lead you to a quiet place…" he bit softly on her earlobe "I would loosen up this tight velvet dress" his hand crept up her back, searching for the buttons "I would drive you home, then put you in bed…"

Melane gasped as she felt his lips grazing her neck, and her fingers slid through his hair. Her lips parted slightly as his teeth sunk lightly in her skin, sending shivers running down her spine and moans stopping right before they fell from her mouth.

"S-Stop…" she managed "I really feel dizzy_ now_…" Somehow they had moved in a less bright corner of the huge room, and her back was almost touching the nearest wall. "Stop, Toua…" she begged as his fingers worked to unbutton her dress.

"Why?" he asked. "Why should I stop?" he looked her in the eye, his own eyes burning. "If you want me to stop, let go of my hair. Stop shivering every time I touch you." His hand cupped her breast and she moaned in pleasure. "Stop moaning, if you don't want me…" he whispered, his inviting voice driving her crazy.

"I want you." She muttered and closed the small distance between their lips, pushing her body as close as she could. His chest heaved violently as he felt her lick his lower lip, and he bit on the offensive tongue lightly.

"Then come." He invited, smirking despite her parted lips and pulled her out of the corner. Gazing around him, he noticed some men drooling at her. He teasingly smiled at them and slipped his arm possessively around her waist. Among the men, Mihara's face had turned a fine shade of pink. He heard Melane laugh, sure she had noticed the manager's unpleasant aura.

"Naughty." Melane whispered and he huffed.

"Serves him right."

He opened the door, and the cold wind crept up Melane's legs, freezing her to the bone. "Gods, it's cold!" she stuttered and wished she had sewed the long tear of her dress. _'At least my legs would be warmer!'_

Toua gazed worryingly upon her lithe frame, but he rather cherished the sight of her trembling shoulders and soft panting of her lips. "Hurry" he just said, a bit roughly. He didn't want to rape this woman in the middle of the street, but he would unless they found shelter in his car immediately. He pulled the car's door open and pushed Melane in the seat. "Wait here…" he muttered.

_ 'I need a smoke.' _He lit up a cigarette and breathed deeply as he felt the nicotine traveling in his system, fighting to calm down his hormones and his heart. Another puff and his blood somewhat stopped rushing in his veins, slowed down. He exhaled, and his breath formed a white cloud in frond of his lips. When the cloud disolved, he dared a look in the car. The expecting and lustful eyes he met with set him on fire once more, and he threw the cigarette on the pavement with an angry snap of his fingers._ 'Why do they sell them if they don't work?'_ he wondered and opened the driver's door.

"Belt." He growled and set the engine on. He had to hurry.

"Toua…?" Melane whispered and touched the side of his face. He turned towards her. Her face was flushed, her lips ready to kiss, her eyes half lidded. Toua tried to smirk, but the unpleasantly fast beating in his chest distracted him.

"Are you cold now?" he asked, with his eyes on the road. The car was moving too slow to his liking, though.

"I'm fine." She mused and crossed her legs, revealing more of her skin for his eyes to catch.

_ 'As if I have to…'_ Mel thought and shivered at the memory of his hand on her. This man needed no time to make any woman beg for him. And she was burning with desire for_ this_ blonde.

"Nice…" he breathed and lit another cigarette, almost choking as the smoke entered his lungs.

The remnants of the smoke were thrown on the ground when he parked, right outside his apartment. He helped her out of the car and lead her slowly at his place.

He could feel her eyes on his back as he unlocked the door and entered the living room. He didn't mind locking.

His jacket was carelessly thrown on the floor. He hugged her, working to undo the buttons of her dress, hearing his name being whispered in his ears. The dress slipped effortlessly off her body, and once more he admired her perfectly pale form. Her fingers unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders.

"You don't know how much I waited for this…" Toua murmured against her lips, and his tongue dived in the hot cavern of her mouth. She moaned and pushed herself up, circling her legs around his waist.

"I have a good idea of it…" she whispered, with his lips dipping in the curve of her breasts. The bra followed his shirt on the floor and this time his fingers dived in her underwear. She gasped as a slender finger caressed a very personal area between her thighs.

With Melane clinging on him, Toua moved in the bedroom and laid her on the mattress. He lowered his face and grazed her right nipple with his teeth, never pulling his hand from her underwear. He smirked when she moaned for more.

"What was that?" he muttered, pressing his fingers against her entrance. She gaped at him, not able to move or breath. She only pleaded with her eyes.

_'Don't play with me...'_

He leaned closer and slid the underwear off her thighs, the intention to play forgotten. His body, completely naked, was burning on top of hers. She hugged him and nuzzled against his neck, with her hands drawing patterns on his back. She bit down on his collarbone and her nails dug in his skin. "Toua…" she moaned.

"Shh…" he hushed her with a kiss and sat up, pulling her on his lap. He groaned when she slid a nail along his length, staring in his eyes. The bright golden color had turned into a blurry soft caramel. She framed his face with her palms and pushed herself up. "Huh?" said Toua and his hands landed on her sides, holding her still. But she smirked.

He couldn't understand what hit him when he felt her around him, hot and tight. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted in a silent scream of pleasure. He groaned and his hips moved unwillingly upwards, burring himself even deeper in her body. "Toua…" she moaned and stole his breath with a kiss. He could feel her trying to supress her screams, her whole body trembling.

The feeling was overwhelming. She had grounded herself so hard on him that he could have come then and there, with Melane screaming his name and her nails scraping his back, with his teeth sinking in her neck.

"Don't…" she gasped as she felt him pacing up, starting to lose control. Her arms clasped on his body "Don't…" Her panting was arousing, how could he stop now he was so close? How could he hold it when this fiery woman was moving against him, clenching tighter and tighter her walls-

"Damn…" Toua panted and trembled in a vain attempt to stop his hips from moving upwards again. "It's easier said than done, damn it!" He laid her on her back and fixed her legs around is abdomen. She was amazing, with her breasts standing out, with her aroused nipples, with her whole body shivering despite his touch.

"You're burning…" she whispered touching his chest.

"I want you." He started moving, as slowly as he could, in and out of her. He saw her cheeks blush, and he thought she was adorable. His hands slid from her belly to her breast and cupped it. It fit perfectly.

"Then take me." She invited and tightened her legs around him.

He didn't know where his body ended, where hers started. He only knew that it was that time, when their bodies were tightly knotted together, a trembling mass of arms and legs, that they shared only one heart. He could feel it as she leaned closer to kiss her. She could feel it when he saw him closing his eyes, holding her possessively on him.

They could feel it when their mutual panting stoped, and the sky outside the window was no longer dark, but pale white, with bright stars scattered all around filling their vision.

**…**

When Toua opened his eyes, he could tell there was something different in the air that morning. His chest was heavier than usual, his whole body was warmer than he remembered, and his pillow smelled of roses.

Also, last time he had checked, no raven haired beauty was sleeping in his bed.

He smiled and closed his eyes peacefully. His fingers dived in her long, messy from sleep hair and her face nuzzled against his chest. She assured her arms around his form and crept closer to him, inhaling deeply.

"Open your eyes…" Toua called softly and the beauty smirked.

"How did you know I was awake?"

"Your breathing changed." he noted. Then he was lost inside a pair of depthless dark eyes, still foggy from sleep. "Good morning beautiful." He mused and pulled her up, so his face was inches above hers.

"Good morning stranger…" Melane breathed and pecked his lips tenderly.

"Oh?" He questioned. "So I'm still a stranger to you?" he laughed.

Melane hummed and supported her weight on her angle, pushing up. Her breasts grazed his sides and he reached out a hand to touch them. She 'tsk'ed despite the move and stopped his hand midways. "Nah…I think I now you pretty well now…" she whispered and bit teasingly on his pointer.

"Is that so…?" Toua muttered and caressed her face. "Then you must know that things like these happen…a lot to baseball players."

The smile flickered on her lips. "Things like_ these_?" she questioned, her voice now slow and low.

"Things like we did last night." He answered, and an angry growl escaped her throat. "It happens all the time-…"

"So it was something very common to you, right?" Melane cut him off, a mask of pain and shock covering her face. "Something you do every day. Without meaning. With no feeling."

"Whas was it to you?" Toua asked and grabbed her hand. "Was it an act without feeling?"

"To me" she tried to jerk her hand out of his grasp "it was something special. And I thought it was something special for you, too." She pierced him with her eyes. "It seems that I was terribly mistaken."

It was one of these moments when no one speeks, no one moves and no one breathes. It was like they were waiting for something to happen to start things over.

She had never expected him to laugh. She _had_ expected him to let go of her hand and mock her, laugh at her silly childish emotions. She _had_ expected him to underline that it was just a new experience to him, and so she should face it.

But he laughed. He didn't smirk, he didn't smile. It was that kind of laughter that seemed to emanate from deep inside his chest. A laugh that lightened his whole face. In a brief moment, she was lost under the hugging of his arms, the only thing existing around her being the loud beating of his heart, the happy laughter echoing in his chest.

"What are you laughing about?" she asked, stunned and confused.

"It's just that…that…" he tried to hold back a new serried of laughter. "Uh…sorry. It must have been really hard for you, hearing those mean words from me. I'm sorry."

"I don't get it. First you say we had nothing but a one-night-stand, then you apologize?" she pushed him away and stared at him bewildered. "Who are you and what have you done with Toua?"

"Which part confuses you the most?"

"The apology…And the laugh. I've never heard you laugh." She noted

"I never had a reason good enough to laugh about." He explained and put his hands on her shoulders. "Do you really think I would go and do what we did with some stranger?" he seriously asked, and Melane fixed her eyes on the mattress.

"You said that these things happen." She accused.

"You didn't let me finish." He reminded, and she blushed. "I wanted to say that these things happen a lot…" he pushed her face up with a couple of fingers underneath her chin "but this was something entirely new to me. It was anything but common." he whispered.

_'His eyes are shining…'_ Mel thought and noticed that the bright sunlight was entering freely into the small bedroom. It matched her mood, for something inside her was painting rainbows in her heart.

"Why didn't you say that from the beginning?" she muttered "I thought-"

"You thought I was some bastard, sex-on-legs incarnate type of man who fucks every woman available." he smiled at her blush.

"Pretty much…yes." she admitted.

"Then let me tell you that I'm not that kind of man, even if I look like one." he teased. "And what we did was special to me." Melane felt his hand on her cheek and her palm covered it tenderly. "You're a very special woman, Melane…I might not be the sentimental guy, but even I can see that."

"Then…" she whispered like a child afraid of its punishment "it wasn't just a one-night-stand to you?"

He stared at her and winked teasingly. "Oh, I don't know." he said. "Is it considered a one-night-stand when you make love with the same person on different days?"

It was then she knew she loved him, and she was being loved in return. To him it was_ 'love'_. He could have named it_ 'sex'_, or_ 'fuck'_, but that little word,_ 'love'_ made the difference. You don't make love with a stranger. You can have sex with a stranger, may it be good or...not so good.

But that man had made love to her, and she could tell just by the look in his eyes that it wouldn't be the last time.

* * *

><p><em><strong>All right, that was strange….Heh, ok. Let me tell you that I usually don't write "M" ratings, and when I do, the stories are not…how should I put it…well described. I just need practice here, but some things have to be done and…<strong>_

_**Yes. I was saying that this is the end of the chapter and I will try to update as soon as possible!**_

_**Till my next chapter…**_

_**xxx**_


	6. Without you?

_**Without you.**_

The sky was dark and cloudy outside the window, ready to burst into tears, without a star shining among the clouds. The curtain was casting even more shadows into the small bedroom, and everything gave an impression of depression. It was only seven in the afternoon.

Melane sat on the edge of the bed, head pressed softly against the wooden frame, listening to the soft, rhythmical breathing of the man next to her. She ruffled lightly his golden locks, her eyes running along the length of his naked body. The toned chest, the perfectly shaped abs, his pronounced pectoral bones…She smiled to herself, shivering to the thought of what this body had done to her a while ago.

During the past three days, she had forgotten there was something else in this world apart from Toua. When he was practicing, she would be staying home, taking a relaxing bath or cooking something really fast and easy. When he was back home, she would quickly undress and lost herself in his tight embrace. The rest of the afternoon would be spent in bed.

The night was theirs. Toua took her to the most expensive restaurants of Tokyo where they drunk spicy _sake*_, ate seaweed and roasted salmon. She tried new sweets named dango*, she even ate sushi! She who despised the Asian way of cooking had learned how to prepare a full sushi meal in half an hour! Toua even taught her the traditional phrases to begin and end an everyday, family meal.

And for the first time in her life, she was having so much fan she had forgotten her job back in L.A, along with every aspect of her life that didn't relate to Toua. And she liked it.

But now, late at night, without a star shining bright on the horizon, she felt pressed against the wall for the first time. And she didn't like it.

_'My flight is programmed for tomorrow morning. But I don't want to leave_…_'_ she thought as she ran her fingernails along his pale neck. The sole thought of leaving this man behind made her heart ache._ 'I wish he could come with me.'_ But she knew it was impossible. Toua was a famous player in Japan. How would he make a new start in L.A where no one knew him?

She sharply inhaled with her teeth clenched. _'It is so unfair. I love him!'_

The man mover under her touch and his lips parted. He stretched his body, every muscle tensing and relaxing. He opened a pair of hazy caramel eyes and tried to find her face in the dim light. Melane felt his sight touching her legs, then her thighs, her belly button. His eyes stopped on her breasts for a short while, then moved on to her neck, caressed her lips and, finally, found her eyes.

"There you are…" he muttered and mover closer to her, resting his head in between her breasts. He caressed her belly and his hand stayed there, toying with her flesh. "Why aren't you sleeping?" he asked and his tongue flickered out to lick a nipple.

"I was just thinking…." Mel said and flattered her eyelids despite the sensation.

"Thinking is good." He commented, squeezing her left breast lightly. "Over thinking, though, keeps you awake."

"Will you stop groping me, please?" Mel teased and grabbed his other hand that was slowly moving southwards.

"I thought you liked it…?" he said, freeing his hand from her grasp. "You know I love playing with you."

Melane 'tsk'ed and rolled her eyes. "It's serious, Toua."

"Mhmm…" he hummed, kissing along her belly while his hands twisted her nipples.

"Damn." Mel groaned, annoyed that her body was responding despite the serious thing she wanted to talk to him about.

His tongue was licking dangerously close to that spot, making it impossible to think.

_'How can one think when the only thing they want to do is wrap their legs around a neck and-'_

"Agh! Stop!" she angrily said and pushed him away. "Stop thinking with your lower head and gather the blood to your upper head! We need to talk!" she demandingly noted and sat back on the bed.

"Damn, just when I was having such a good time…" Toua sighed and crossed his arms.

"I need to tell you something…" Mel whispered.

"You don't need to tell me anything." Toua said and touched her hand. "I know."

"No you don't." she pulled her hand slowly away. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

_'There, I said it._'

She didn't expect him to smirk. "I know. The flight leaves tomorrow morning." he said and touched her hand again.

Mel stared at him, silently wishing she didn't have to say that. She wished she could stay, or at least have more time with him. "I don't want to go…" she muttered and crept into his arms. "I don't want to leave you."

Toua hugged her tightly; he pressed her against his body. "You know you can stay if you want." Mel heard the smile in his voice. "But you won't. Your life is in L.A"

"I don't care!" she yelped, fighting to stop the tears coming in her eyes. "I love you…"

"Mel-"

"Give me a reason to stay!" she pushed him back and stared into his eyes. "Give me a damn good reason not to go back to my_ boring_ life in a _boring_ city…" she pleaded.

With a huff, the man pushed her back and straightened her. "Listen" he said "I can't tell you to stay when I know you have nothing here. I don't believe it's the right thing, so I won't be giving you reasons to stay." He closed his eyes and smiled sadly. "If you want to stay, though, do so, even if it's wrong." He stood up and slipped his jeans on. "Your flight leaves at eight o'clock. Try to get some rest, please."

Mel could hear his footsteps as he headed towards the living room, unable to move. She sat frozen on the same spot when he left her, staring at her hands._ 'The worst thing is'_ she thought _'that he is wrong.'_

Toua, while trying not to press her to stay with him, had forgotten the one thing he should never had: Melane had something holding her back. Toua himself.

**…**

The purple bruises under his eyes told her that he had had as much sleep as she had: not at all. The essence emanating from his skin proved that he had spent the night drinking Vodka and staring outside the window.

Melane gave a last look at the apartment as she walked out the door, luggage in hand and coat tightly wrapped around her body. She had purposely left her hair lay loose around her face, hoping that it could cover the paleness of her skin. The huge sunglasses hiding the three quarters of her face were a last add to her appearance. She didn't want him to see her eyes, dull and red because of crying.

As the car moved fast towards the Tokyo airport, they remained silent. And the more he drove, the more Toua wanted to stop the car and drive to the other direction, back home. He had hoped she would catch the hint, the hint he had relayed his happiness on, and stay with him. He had hoped she really wanted to stay and so she would. But, much to his annoyance, it was one of the few times in his life he was mistaken.

They arrived at the airport and he parked outside the building. He lit a cigarette and put It between his lips, inhaling the smoke deeply._ 'Damn! Do something!'_ he told himself. A look inside the car's mirror told him that he looked as bad as he felt. The tension was clearly written on his face. Melane, on the other side, seemed strangely calm in the seat next to him.

"Give me the lighter, please…" she whispered. Toua, surprised, placed the lighter on her palm.

"Since when do you smoke?" he asked, but the woman gave him a mysterious smile.

"I don't." she said and took a piece of paper from her bag. She held it in front of her eyes and lit the lighter. The purple flame licked the edge of the illustrated paper and set it quickly on fire.

"What are you doing?" Toua asked, confused.

"Something I should have done four days ago." Melane muttered and watched the paper flaming. When the fire reached her fingers, she let the paper fall on her knees until it was nothing more but gray ashes.

"So…" Toua said after some moments of silence "Why should you have burnt the paper four days ago?" he asked.

Melane uncovered her eyes, and the vivid emerald color of her eyes shined brightly. "It was my ticket to L.A." she mused to the ashes.

"W-what?" Toua stuttered. "You can't flight without a ticket!" he stated, an Melane laughed.

"Tell me something I don't know!"

"You're mad!" Toua sat heavily on the driver's seat and grabbed the wheel. "Why did you do that?"

Melane "tsk" ed and crossed her arms on her knees. "I couldn't find a more…obvious way to tell you I'm staying." She watched his eyes widen in shock and his jaw fall. It was so pleasant to know she caused that reaction! Maybe now she understood why Toua felt so satisfied when intimidating his co-players….

"And why on Earth did I have to drive you to the airport if you were to stay?" he asked with his teeth gritted. Mel laughed and touched his face, turning him towards her.

"You're not the only one playing games here, Tokutchi-San…" she said and kissed him.

**…**

_**Four days later**_

"We need beer."

"We also need chicken, potatoes, red meat, celery, salt-"

"And wine."

"And sugar, and coffee! Let alone the cakes….Marmalade cakes!"

Toua sighed and rubbed his temples with two fingers. "You know, sweetie, just a couple of friends are coming by, not the whole baseball team…"

Mel smiled brightly and waved the duster around. "I know." She said and wiped her forehead. "That's why everything must be perfect."

He smirked and ruffled his blond hair. Mel was up long before the sunrise, dusting every little and forgotten corner of his house, cooking, chopping and peeling vegetables. She wanted everything to be perfectly done. It was something new to him, this need for perfection she had.

"-cranberries, new jam, a vase for the flowers…Oh my God, Toua!" she exclaimed and desperately stared at him. "There are so many things missing!" She sat next to him on the couch and leaned against his chest. "Sometimes I wonder how you survived…"

Toua smiled and patted her head with the messy raven strands. "Without cranberries, jam and a new vase?" he mooched "Well… I managed somehow." he muttered and Mel laughed.

"You think you can make it for a couple of days more?" she asked and nuzzled against him.

"Are you leaving soon?"

"I have an autograph to deliver to L.A, remember?"

"Oh…yeah." He said. "Just come back quickly."

"Hmm?" Mel turned to him and placed her hand on his face "getting used to me, aren't you?" she teased, but proudly smiled.

"Sometimes I wonder how I survived…" Toua whispered and stared deep inside her bright emerald eyes.

"Without me?" Mel asked and looked around the vast living room. "I have no idea!"

**_The End_**

* * *

><p><em><strong>All right, this is the end! I know it's somewhat hurried, but I really wanted to end this in a happy and comical way. No drama, no more tears!<strong>_

_**I hope you like it a little bit more now that it's completed! A sequel may occur if you like. ^^ Just let me know and/or give me new ideas!**_

_**Till my next story**_

_**xxx**_


End file.
